This latest debut from Image Comics is all about tapping into the nostalgia we have for our innocence and our childhood imagination. Bullock offers a cute story with a couple of charming characters, but his story unfolds rather predictably. The animation-influenced artwork is pleasing to the eye, especially when it comes to the coloful feline heroes of the story, and the vibrant colors are quite eye-catching. This is an entertaining new comic, but it doesn't come off as all that fresh. In fact, it seems more like a pitch for a new cartoon TV show than a comic series.
Joey's mom has landed a new, better job in another town, but her son isn't taking the big change all that well. He's going to miss his friends, his school and most of all, his grandmother. She presents him with a special gift she promises will help to keep the scared little boy safe from the Beasties, the monsters Joey believes lurk in the shadows and in his closet. She promises there's something special about Joey's four new protectors -- stuffed toy jungle cats -- but little does he know just how special they really are.
Lawrence's art boasts a clear Japanese influence. The animal characters exude a palpable sense of power, and the human characters are appropriately softer in tone. I think Lawrence exaggerates the human characters a little too much, though. Joey looks a bit silly as opposed to vulnerable, so the sense of fear he feels and the air of menace the creators try to foster later in the issue don't come through quite so well. The packaging for Joey's gift is a little too slick and modern for something that's supposed to date back about a hundred years; it's too bad Larence didn't make it look a bit dusty or even tattered to convey that it's been sitting around for a while. The colors here really pop, but I appreciated those in the darker scenes much more than the brighter ones. The colors hint something quite fearsome and foul is approaching.
I love how Bullock develops the notion that stuffed aninal toys are the protectors of the children who love them. He fosters a real sense of legend that helps to balance the cuteness factor. He reinforces the mythic qualities of the story with mythic names for the feline characters. Joey's dialogue occasionally takes on too adult a tone, but overall, Bullock captures the imagination and emotions of a kid pretty nicely in the script.
Lions, Tigers and Bears reminds me of a cross between Mike Kunkel's Herobear and the Kid and Masters of the Universe. Bullock captures a child's energy, wonder and imagination quite well, which is what reminds me of Kunkel's work, and Bullock conveys Joey's fear nicely, as well as his sense of powerlessness when faced with the adult world's impact on his life. The generic nature of the villains is what elicits the comparison to Masters of the Universe, though. They're meant to be menacing and goofy all at once, and they end up being neither. 6/10
